Alan Hevesi is expected to step down Friday, reports The Albany Times-Union.

State Comptroller Alan Hevesi will agree this week to resign to avoid an indictment stemming from an ethics scandal in which he used public employees to chauffeur his wife, according to sources familiar with his decision. Hevesi, one of the state's highest-ranking elected officials, will consent to stepping down from the post he has held since January 2003 by Friday morning at the latest as part of a plea deal with Albany County District Attorney David Soares. The comptroller, a 66-year-old Queens Democrat, will also plead guilty to a criminal charge, which will not be higher than a Class E felony and will not require him to spend any time in jail, according to the sources.

The next steps in the process are unclear; the governor, George Pataki, could in theory name a replacement to serve out the remainder of Hevesi's current term, while governor-elect Eliot Spitzer and the legislature will no doubt wrangle over whom to appoint in Hevesi's stead for his next term, for which he was just elected. Stay tuned.